Mail-bag catcher



( 0 M06611) 2 SheetsSheet 1. M- S. CODY.

MAIL BAG GATGHBR.

, No. 587,115. Patented July 27.1897.-

- Wiii'iesses 2 sheets sheet 2.

(No Model.) M. S. CODY. MAIL BAG CATGHER. No. 587,115. Patented July27,1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT Fries.

MILES S. CODY, OE STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

MAI L-BAG CATCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,115, dated July 27,1897.

Application filed November 11 1896. Serial No. 611,729. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MILES S. CODY, a citizenof the United States, residing at Stock ton, in the county of SanJoaquin and State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Mail-Bag Catchers; and I do declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention relates to mail-bag catchers for use on railway mail-cars;and it has for its general objectto provide a mail-bag catcher which maybe readily connected to mail-cars such as at present in use and onewhich is adapted, when adjusted to its proper operative position, toscoop up mail-bags placed on suitable stationary supports at the side ofthe track and guide the same through a door or other opening into thecar, and which is also adapted, when not in use, to be readily folded orswung flat against the side of the car, so as not to strike obstructionsat the side of the track.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully understoodfrom the following description and claims when taken in con junctionwith the accompanying drawings, in which- I Figure 1 is a side elevationof a portion of a railway mail-car equipped with my improved mail-bagcatcher, the catcher being shown in its operative position inconjunction with the stationary platform from which it takes themail-bags Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same with the car in horizontalsection. Fig. 3 is a transverse section taken in the plane indicated bythe line 00 a: of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail perspectiveillustrating the manner in which the sections formingthe bars of thescoop are connected together to permit of endwise movement of onesection with respect to the other, and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal centralsection of the same.

In the said drawings similar letters designate corresponding parts inall of the several views, referring to which A indicates a portion of arailway mail-car which may have the door-opening a and may otherwise beof the ordinaryconstruction, and B indicates one of the mail-bagsupports which are arranged at the side of and in close proximity to thetrack upon which the car travels. This supportB comprises, bypreference,a suitable stationary frame 19 and a leaf 0, which is connected in ahinged manner to the side of the frame 12, contiguous to' the track, andis designed to be supported in its operative horizontal position by thebrace cl, which is formed of two sections 6, flexibly connected togetherand having one section pivotally connected to the frame I) and the othersection pivotally connected to the support 0, as illustrated. The leaf 0is provided upon its upper side with a plurality oflongitudinallydisposed ribs or bars f, upon which the mailbags aredesigned to rest, for a purpose presently described.

The construction of mail-bag support shown and described is preferable,for the reason that it permits of the leaf 0, when not in .use, be ingswung down against the frame I), so as to be out of the way. I do notdesire, however, to be understood as confining myself to suchconstruction of support, as the support may be of any constructionsuitable to the purposes of my invention.

C indicates the rock-shaft of the scoop for taking up and guiding themail-bags into the car through the door-opening thereof. This shaft C ispreferably arranged in the upper portion of the door-opening a, adjacentto one of the side stiles thereof, and it is journaledat its ends insuitable bearings in the upper cross-stile of the door-opening and in abar g, extending across the door-opening. Said shaft C serves for theconnection of the inner sections 2' of the bars D, comprised in thescoop. The said sections 01, which are formed of resilient or springmetal, are fixedly connected at their inner ends to the shaft C atintervals in the length thereof and are provided at their outer endswith the angularly-disposed branches j. (See Figs. tand 5.)

The outer sections it of the bars D are also formed of resilient orspring metal,,and they inwardly bent portions m, which are designed toreceive the outer ends of the sections 2', and are provided at theirends with the lateral projections 22, designed to engage the angularbranches j of the sections 2', and thereby limit the outward endwisemovement of the sections 7; with respect to the inner sections i. Thisspecific manner of connecting the sections i 7,; so as to allow of alimited endwise movement of the latter is strong, durable, and

not likely to get out of order and is preferred for such reasons. I donot desire, however, to be understood as confining myself to suchspecific connection, as any connection that will permit of the endwisemovement of the outer sections with respect to the inner sections may beemployed.

E indicates the lever for adjusting the scoop. This lever E is fulerumedin a slot or opening p in the wall of the car A and is arrangedtransverse thereof, and it preferably comprises the body q, which isshaped as shown, so as to engage the upper and lower walls of theaperture to sustain the forward end of the scoop in its operativehorizontal position, the outwanlly-directed arm 0, which is connected toa cross-bar 5-, arranged beneath and connected to the several sections7t of the bars I), and the inwardly-directed arm or handle 2, throughthe medium of which the scoop may be adjusted by a person within thecar.

111 the practi :al operation of my improvements the mail bag or bags areplaced upon the longitudinal bars or ribs fof the stationary support 13,the said bars or ribs being so arranged with respect to the bars D ofthe scoop that said bars D will pass between and at the sides of theribs or barsf. As the train approaches the support B the attendant inthe mail-car raises the arm 25 of the lever E and thereby lowers thescoop to its operative position, (shown in Figs. 1 to 3,) andconsequently it will be observed that when the scoop reaches the supportB it will take beneath the mail-bags thereon and will guide saidmail-bags into the car through the dooropening a thereof, the momentumof the car and the shape of the scoop causing the bags to take such acourse, as is obvious. After the support B is passed the attendantwithin the car depresses the arm tof the lever E until it rests againstthe inside of the car-wall, which movement of the lever will raise thescoop to a position flat against the side of the car, as shown by dottedlines in Fig. 1, so as to prevent it from striking bridges and otherobstructions along the track.

As the scoop is raised the connections between the inner sections i andouter sections 7; of the bars D will permit the sections 7a to moveendwise with respect to the sections 1', and this endwise movement ofthe sections will, as will be readily appreciated, permit the scoop toassume the position flat against the side of the car. Such connectionwhen the scoop is lowered to its operative position will also enable thesections 70 to move forwardly with respect to the sections i, and byreason of this and the resiliency of the bars D the scoop will assumethe position shown in Figs. 1 and 2 when lowered.

\Vhen the scoop is raised, the arm i of the lever E may be secured inits depressed position by any suitable means, (not illustrated,) so asto prevent the scoop from casually fallin g into its operative position.

I would have it understood that when it is not necessary to have thescoop capable of being swung up flat against the wall of the car saidscoop may be of any construction and may be connected with the car inany manner that will enable it to scoop up bags from supports as the carpasses the same and guide or shoot such bags into the car through anopening in one of the side walls thereof.

It will be observed that my improved scoop, when properly adjusted,takes the bags from the supports and delivers the same into the ear, andthat it is therefore a material improvement over those catchers whichreceive and hold the mail-bags untilthe same are removed and drawn intothe car by the attendant. It will also be observed that my improvements,notwithstanding their many advantages, are very cheap and simple an dmay be quickly and easily connected to mail-cars such as at present inuse.

\Vhen the scoop is to be reversed in order to suit the direction ofmovement in which the car is to travel, it is simply necessary todisconnect the bars of the scoop from the outwardly-projecting end 7 ofthe lever E, which connection may for the sake of convenience be made bythe employment of a socket or loops and a spring-key or cotterpin. Therock-shaft O is then changed to similar bearings on the opposite side ofthe dooropening and the bar 5, connected to the arm or projected end ofa lever, as E, arranged in the slot 1) on the opposite side of saiddoor-opening.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s

1. A mail-bag catcher comprising a scoop made up of sectional bars orstrips slidably connected, a rock-shaft to which said bars are secured,and a lever secured to the outersections of the bars, and having ahandlefor moving the bars into an approximate horizontal and vertical positionrespectively, the whole being adapted for attachment to a mail-car,substantially as specified.

2. A mail-car having an opening in one of its side walls, and a scoopdisposed at one side of the car and connected at one end with the wallof the car at one side of the opening therein and curved downwardly andforwardly therefrom and having the horizontally-disposed forwardportion, whereby it is adapted to take mail-bags from supports as thecar passes the same and guide such bags into the car through the openingin the wall thereof, substantially as specified.

- 3. A mail-car having an opening in one of its side walls and a scoopdisposed at one side of the car and connected at one end with the wallof the car at one side of the opening therein and curved downwardly andfor- Wardly therefrom and having the horizontally-disposed forwardportion; said scoop comprising bars disposed downwardly at their forwardends; in combination with a stationary support having bars upon itsupper side disposed in the direction in which the car moves and adaptedto support mail-bags, substantially as specified.

4. A mail-car having an opening in one of its side walls, and a scoopdisposed at one side of the car and comprising resilient bars havinginner sections connected With the car and outer sections connectedtogether and adj ustably connected with the inner sections, means forsupporting the forward portion of the scoop in its operative, horizontalposition, and means for adjusting the scoop; the said 7 scoop, in itsoperative position, being adapted to take mail-bags from supports as.the car passes the same and deliver such bags into the car through theopening in the Wall thereof, substantially as specified.

5. A mail-car having an opening in one of its side walls, a scoopcomprising a vertical rock-shaft journaled at one side of thedooropening, and resilient bars having inner sectionsconnected with therock-shaft and outer sections adjustably connected withthe innersections, and a lever fulcru med in one wall of the car and connectedwith the outer sections of the scoop-bars; said lever being adapted tosupport the scoop in its operative position and being also adapted, whenits inner end is depressed, to raise the scoop flat against the outsideofthe car; the said scoop being adapted to take mail-bags from supportsand deliver the same into the car through the opening in the wallthereof, substantially as 6. The combination with a mail-car; of a scoopcomprising bars or strips, a verticallydisposed rock-shaft secured atone end of said strips and bearing on one side of the dooropening, and alever pivoted on the opposite side of said opening and secured at ornear the opposite ends of said bars or strips, so that the movement inone direction will turn the scoop into a receiving position, andmovement in an opposite direction will raise the scoop into anapproximately fiat contour against the side of the car, substantially asspecified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MILES S. CODY.

W'itnesses:

WALTER JAMES, CHARLES H. RAEDER.

